Fast H-ARQ acknowledgement generation method using a stopping rule for turbo decoding

ABSTRACT

A stopping rule for Turbo decoding that is applied for both good and bad code blocks is disclosed. If the iteration either converges or diverges, decoding is terminated. In an alternative embodiment, the result of the stopping rule testing may be used for H-ARQ acknowledgement generation: if the iteration converges, an ACK is generated and if the iteration diverges, a NACK is generated. Optionally, the maximum number of decoding iterations may be dynamically selected based on MCS levels.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/491,410 filed Jul. 21, 2006, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,467,345on Dec. 16, 2008, which in turn is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/334,490 filed Dec. 30, 2002 which issued as U.S.Pat. No. 7,093,180 on Aug. 15, 2006 which claims benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 60/392,200 filed Jun. 28, 2002, whichare incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention is related to data communication systems. Moreparticularly, the present invention is directed to an improved Turbodecoder in a data communication system.

BACKGROUND

Turbo codes are used for data communication systems [such as a HighSpeed Downlink Shared Channel (HS-DSCH) in High Speed Downlink PacketAccess (HSDPA) in wireless communication systems] as a forward errorcorrection (FEC) scheme. Decoding of Turbo codes is iterative in nature.That is, each Turbo code block is decoded several times. In general,there is a tradeoff between the Turbo code performance, which improveswith the number of decoding iterations, and the decoding delay andcomputational complexity. Conventionally, the number of decodingiterations is fixed (for example, at 4 or 8 iterations). However, someTurbo code blocks may need only a few decoding iterations tosuccessfully decode the code blocks, (i.e. to converge), before reachingthe last decoding iteration and further iterations are not necessary. Insuch a case, if the Turbo decoder stops the redundant decodingiterations for the good blocks, it reduces the decoding delay and powerconsumption without degrading performance.

To prevent an endless loop when the stopping rule is never satisfied,the decoder stops after a maximum number of iterations. Several stoppingrules for Turbo decoding have been addressed in the prior art. However,prior art stopping rules are focused on the case where decodingiterations converge (e.g., for good Turbo coded blocks).

SUMMARY

The present invention not only implements a stopping rule for good codeblocks, but also includes a stopping rule for bad code blocks which failto be correctly decoded even at the last decoding iteration. Thisbenefits data communication systems such as HSDPA which employ an H-ARQ(hybrid-automatic repeat request) protocol, since the H-ARQ protocolrequests bad blocks to be retransmitted. It is particularly applicablewith HS-DSCHs with H-ARQ that may require raw block error rates (BLERs)before retransmission on the order of 10⁻¹, which leads to frequentoccurrences of bad Turbo coded blocks for HS-DSCH. It should be notedthat although the present invention will focus on HSDPA as an example,other data communication systems using Turbo coding and an H-ARQtechnique may also be used in accordance with the teachings of thepresent invention.

The H-ARQ protocol used for HSDPA sends the transmitter anacknowledgement (ACK/NACK) of each H-ARQ process where generation of theacknowledgement is typically based on the cyclic redundancy check (CRC)check result of the individual H-ARQ process. There is some delay inderiving the CRC result, which may be on the order of 10 msec. The CRCprocessing delay may cause H-ARQ performance degradation. As analternative to the H-ARQ acknowledgement generation, the result of thestopping rule testing may be used to determine whether a given H-ARQprocess is in error (NACK generation) or error-free (ACK generation).

In addition, HSDPA employs adaptive modulation and coding (AMC) as alink adaptation technique. The modulation and coding format can bechanged on a radio frame basis in accordance with variations in thechannel conditions, subject to system restrictions. In order to moreefficiently implement the Turbo decoder with a stopping rule, themaximum number of Turbo decoding iterations may be dynamically selecteddepending on a code rate and modulation type for the HS-DSCH.

The present invention provides the advantage of a reduction in thedecoding delay and computational complexity at the user equipment (UE)receiver. In addition, reduction in the decoding delay leads to earlieravailability of H-ARQ acknowledgements at the Node B, which improvesHSDPA performance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be described with reference to the drawingfigures wherein like numerals represent like elements throughout andwherein:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are flow diagrams useful in describing alternativetechniques of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a modified block diagram showing apparatus utilized to performthe turbo decoding technique of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The stopping rule known as Sign Change Ratio (SCR) is implemented forTurbo decoding in accordance with the present invention. This ruledepends upon the sign changes of the extrinsic information provided bythe component decoders in the Turbo decoder between the (k−1)^(th) andk^(th) iterations for both good and bad Turbo code blocks. Theconventional SCR stopping rule attempts to determine, by checking thesign changes, when the iteration converges and then terminates theiteration process. This SCR stopping rule is applied only to goodreceived code blocks. However, in accordance with the present invention,the SCR stopping rule is applied to bad code blocks as well. Thisespecially benefits HSDPA systems employing a H-ARQ protocol, since theH-ARQ protocol requests bad H-ARQ processes consisting of Turbo codeblock(s) to be retransmitted. It should be noted that although thepresent invention will focus on the SCR based stopping rule as anexample, other stopping criterion may also be used in accordance withthe teachings of the present invention. By way of example, other knownstopping criteria include: (a) CRC wherein, after each decodingiteration, CRC bits are checked for errors and the iteration is stoppedif there is no CRC error and (b) Cross Entropy wherein after eachiteration, the cross entropy between log-likelihood ratios of thecomponent decoders is calculated and the iteration is terminated if theestimated cross entropy is less than a given threshold.

To see the behavior of iterative decoding in the Turbo decoder, Turbocode simulations were performed with a fixed number of iterations kwhere k is (set to 8). Table 1 shows typical samples of the simulationresults in terms of the number of sign changes at each iteration forgood Turbo code blocks, and Table 2 shows typical samples of thesimulation results in terms of the number of sign changes at eachiteration for bad Turbo code blocks. As observed in Table 1, with goodcode blocks the number of sign changes between (k−1) and k (for k>1)iterations converges before the last (8^(th)) iteration. In this case,if the stopping rule is applied, the average number of iterations wouldbe reduced to approximately 4.

TABLE 1 Typical samples of TC simulation results in terms of the numberof sign changes for successful decoded (good) blocks when 16 QAM, ¾rate, BLER = 10% # of sign changes between (k-1) and k iterationsStopped Blocks K = 2 K = 3 K = 4 K = 5 K = 6 K = 7 K = 8 iteration 1 3 00 0 0 0 0 K = 3 2 8 3 0 0 0 0 0 K = 4 3 16 9 0 0 0 0 0 K = 4 4 4 8 7 3 00 0 K = 6 5 11 2 0 0 0 0 0 K = 4 6 18 20 11 10 0 0 0 K = 6 7 19 5 0 0 00 0 K = 4 8 16 9 0 0 0 0 0 K = 4 9 4 5 3 0 0 0 0 K = 5 10 10 0 0 0 0 0 0K = 3

In Table 2, it is shown that with bad code blocks the number of signchanges never converges.

TABLE 2 Typical samples of TC simulation results in terms of the numberof sign changes for unsuccessfully decoded (bad) blocks when 16 QAM, ¾rate, BLER = 10% # of sign changes between (k-1) and k iterationsStopped Blocks K = 2 K = 3 K = 4 K = 5 K = 6 K = 7 K = 8 iteration 1 3039 29 37 46 49 31 K = 3 2 24 36 39 39 38 35 28 K = 3 3 33 27 24 23 24 1417 K = 8 4 11 11 12 20 21 37 34 K = 5 5 9 14 9 8 11 9 16 K = 3 6 18 10 79 17 14 7 K = 5 7 3 34 39 38 39 23 25 K = 3 8 16 14 34 36 12 22 35 K = 4

In the present invention, it is proposed that the iterative decodingprocess is terminated if either the iteration converges or the iterationdiverges. Otherwise the decoding ceases after a maximum number ofiterations.

Referring to FIG. 1, a flowchart of the method 10 in accordance with thepresent invention for Turbo decoding is shown. The method 10 commencesby receiving a Turbo code block from a demodulator (step 14). A counterfor decoding iterations is then initialized (i=0) (step 16) and then thecounter incremented (i=i+1) (step 18). The ith decoding iteration isperformed (step 20) and it is determined whether or not this is thefirst iteration (step 22). If it is the first iteration, the procedure10 reverts to step 18. If not, the method 10 makes a determination ofwhether or not the iteration converges or diverges.

If the SCR is considered as the stopping criterion, then the iterationconvergence and divergence can be defined as follows. If the number ofthe sign changes between the (k−1)^(th) iteration and k^(th) iteration(for k>1) becomes zero, the iteration is determined to be converging. Ifthe number of the sign changes between the (k−1)^(th) iteration andk^(th) iteration (for k>2) is greater than that between the (k−2)^(th)iteration and (k−1)^(th) iteration, the iteration is determined to bediverging. Accordingly, at step 26, it is determined whether theiteration converges. If so, the iteration process is terminated and thedecoded sequence is output (step 36). If not, it is determined whetherthe iteration diverges (step 30). If the iteration diverges, theiteration process is terminated and the decoded sequence is output (step36). If the iteration does not diverge, it is determined whether themaximum number of iterations (i=Nmax) has been reached (step 34). If so,the iteration process is terminated and the decoded bit sequence isoutput (step 36). If not, the process returns to step 18 whereby thecounter is incremented (i=i+1) and steps 20-36 are repeated. It shouldbe noted that the maximum number of iterations Nmax may be dynamicallyselected as a function of the applied code rate and modulation type. Forexample, the higher the code rate and the higher the order of themodulation type, the less the maximum number of iterations Nmax.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of an alternative method 70 in accordance withthe present invention for Turbo decoding. In this embodiment 70, theresults of the stopping rule are used for H-ARQ acknowledgementgeneration. The like steps of the method 70 shown in FIG. 2 are numberedthe same as the steps of the procedure 10 shown in FIG. 1 and thereforewill not be further described with reference to FIG. 2.

In accordance with this embodiment of the present invention, after adetermination of whether or not the iteration converges, anacknowledgement (ACK) or non-acknowledgement (NACK) for H-ARQ isgenerated. More specifically, referring to step 26, if it is determinedthat the iteration converges (step 26), an ACK is generated (step 28)assuming that an H-ARQ process has a single Turbo code block. When thereare multiple Turbo code blocks in an H-ARQ process, the ACK for theH-ARQ process will be generated, if all the iterations with all the codeblocks converge. The iteration process is then terminated and thedecoded bit sequence is output (step 36). If the iteration does notconverge as determined at step 26, it is then determined whether or notthe iteration diverges (step 30). If so, a NACK is generated (step 32)for the H-ARQ process carrying the decoded block, the iteration processis terminated and the decoded bit sequence is output (step 36). Whenthere are multiple Turbo code blocks in an H-ARQ process, if any onecode block is determined to be diverging (generating NACK), then all theiterations with other relevant code blocks may be terminated as well. Ifthe iteration does not diverge, as determined at step 30, it isdetermined whether or not the iteration has reached the maximum numberof iterations Nmax (step 34). If so, the iteration process is terminatedand the decoded sequence is output (step 36). If the maximum number ofiterations Nmax has not been reached, as determined at step 34, thecounter is incremented (step 18) and steps 20-36 are repeated.Accordingly, if the iteration process does not converge or diverge, theH-ARQ acknowledgement generation will be based on CRC check results asin the prior art. The use of the Turbo decoding aided H-ARQacknowledgement generation may reduce H-ARQ processing delay at thereceiving station, taking into account the delay in CRC processing (onthe order of 10 msec).

In FIG. 3, a block diagram of the Turbo decoder structure 100 is shown,including the stopping rule decision unit. In general, the Turbo decoder100 consists of (2) two SISO (soft input soft output) modules, SISO1 106and SISO2 108. Each SISO provides soft-valued log-likelihood ratios(LLR) for the other SISO through the Turbo internalinterleaver/de-interleaver 110, 112. After each iteration, a stoppingrule decision unit 114 checks whether the decoding iteration convergesor diverges, or neither. If the decision turns out to be either“converged” or “diverged”, the iteration is stopped and either “Ack” or“Nack” indication depending on convergence or divergence is generatedfor H-ARQ processing. Otherwise, the decoder continues the iteration.

More specifically, the Turbo decoder 100 processes soft-valued inputdata 102 in each Turbo code block in a transmission. The input 102 tothe Turbo decoder is passed through a demultiplexer 104 which separatesthe input into three sequences: systematic bit sequence, parity bit 1sequence, and parity bit 2 sequence. The systematic bit sequence andparity bit 1 sequence are initially sent to the SISO 1 decoder 106(soft-input soft-output decoder), along with a priori information dataderived from the SISO 2 decoder 108. The SISO 1 decoder 106 generateslog-likelihood ratios (LLRs) (i.e. extrinsic information plus systematicinformation) of the information bits. The LLRs from the SISO 1 decoder106 are permuted by a Turbo internal interleaver 110 and passed to theSISO 2 decoder 108. Along with the interleaved LLRs, the parity bit 2sequence is fed into the SISO 2 decoder 108. The extrinsic informationoutput of the SISO 2 decoder are deinterleaved in accordance with theTurbo internal deinterleaver 112 performing an inverse permutation withrespect to the Turbo internal interleaver 110. The permuted extrinsicinformation is then fed back as the a priori information of the SISO 1decoder 106 to repeat the process. After each iteration, the stoppingrule decision unit 114 determines whether the iteration converged,diverged or neither converged nor diverged. If the decision turns out tobe either “converged” or “diverged,” the iteration is stopped, thedecoded bit sequence is output at 116, and a corresponding H-ARQacknowledgement is provided at 114 a for H-ARQ processing. Otherwise theprocess continues to be iterated.

The present invention provides the advantage of a reduction in thedecoding delay and computation complexity at the receiving station. Inaddition, a decrease of the decoding delay leads to make H-ARQacknowledgements available earlier at the transmission, which improvesH-ARQ performance.

Although the present invention has been described in detail, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited thereto, and that variouschanges can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scopeof the invention, which is defined by the attached claims.

1. A method for decoding a signal using an iterative turbo decodercomprising: performing decoing interation of a code block; determining,using a stopping criterion, whether a later decoding iteration convergesor diverges when compared to an earlier decoding iteration; andgenerating a decoding acknowledgement on the condition that the laterdecoding iteration converges or diverges.
 2. The method of claim 1further comprising terminating further decoding iterations on thecondition that the later decoding iteration converges or diverges. 3.The method of claim 1, wherein the decoding acknowledgement is anAcknowledgement (ACK) on the condition that the later decoding iterationconverges.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the decodingacknowledgement is an Non-Acknowledgement (NACK) on the condition thatthe later decoding iteration diverges.
 5. The method of claim 4, whereinfurther decoding iteration are termination when an iteration countreaches a predetermined threshold.
 6. The method of claim 1, whereindetermining whether the decoding iteration converges or divergesincludes evaluating a sign change ratio between the later decodingiteration and one or more earlier decoding iterations.
 7. The method ofclaim 6, wherein on the condition that the sign change ratio isincreasing, the later decoding iteration is diverging.
 8. The method ofclaim 6, wherein on the condition that the sign change ratio is zero,the later decoding iteration is converging.